Monthly Archives

YAY! Here are another eight dreamy Holiday Faves roundups from more of my favorite independent shops and designers! As I mentioned yesterday, these lovely businesses have become so dear to me over the years and I could not be more proud to get to work with such big-hearted, kind, and talented humans. I hope you get to discover some awesome new folks and find lots of beautiful things for yourself and your loved ones. Plus, there are a lot more sweet deals! HAPPY HOLIDAYS, friends! ♥

STARS ANTIQUESA SWEET DEAL:In PDX: Stop by Stars Antiques for the huge STARS BLACK FRIDAY & SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY SALE! Mention the sale coupon at the register and get 10% off on full price vintage goods that are priced $20+ from hundreds of dealers for TWO whole days of shopping fun. Stars Antiques has 2 locations on the same block. STARS ANTIQUES: 7027 SE Milwaukie Ave and STARS & SPLENDID ANTIQUES: 7030 SE Milwaukie Ave. MORE INFO.

Oh, yeeeeah… here we go… it’s the first post for my annual Holiday Faves roundups! I love working with these wonderfully kind and clever designers and shop owners throughout the year — it’s an absolute joy. They work so hard to create and offer goods that are thoughtful, special, and will stand the test of time — our forever favorites. I’ll be sharing some of my shop favorites over the next few days and many of these lovely people are including nice shop codes to go along with these roundups. I hope you find all sorts of great gifts for yourself, your friends, and your family. Thanks for supporting all our small businesses and thank you for supporting women doing their thing. It means the world to all of us. ♥

INK & PEATIn PDX: Stop by Ink & Peat for a 10% discount when you mention Little Boxes on Black Friday 11/24, Small Biz Saturday 11/25, and Sunday 11/26. Plus, enter raffles! Come to the Shop Late Williams holiday party on Friday, December 8 from 5PM to 9PM and get 20% off everything in the Portland shop. Not valid with any other offers. Ink & Peat is located at 3808 N. Williams Avenue – Suite 126. Follow @inkandpeat on Instagram for shop updates!

Hi there! Honey Kennedy contributor Allison here! Jen asked me to put together some of my favorite Portland gift picks, so here are some things I’m loving lately from our talented Portland makers and a few other things I’m just really into right now. HAPPY SOLSTICE!

Good friends and fine artists Lindsay Kretchun and Rachel Warkentin founded Barrow PDX in 2013 and have been designing and producing beautiful and unique porcelain and fiber jewelry by hand since. With styles ranging from delicate to statement making, you’re guaranteed to find something perfect for that special person on your list who seems to have everything, except perhaps a gorgeous pair of black porcelain stud earrings with gold leaf accent. Shop online or in person at their many local Portland stockists.

Bonus:Barrow will be donating 20% of all their holiday show profits to Boys and Girls Club of America, check @barrowpdx on Instagram for upcoming holiday show announcements.

One of my favorite up-and-coming housewares lines is Portland’s Little Garage Shop. The range includes hand-printed textiles made into napkins, cushions and dog beds, hand-thrown ceramics with gorgeous glazes, room sprays, candles, and prints – all which make for special, one-of-a-kind gifts. On rare occasions, owners Noel and Thomas open up shop in their NE Portland garage (hence their name) but more often you can catch them at Portland Flea. Shop online and follow @littlegarage_shop on Instagram to see fun updates.

Tarot has been all the rage of late and I love designer Katy Siebel’s extra chic mixologist-themed Tarot of Cocktails deck. The perfect gift for those who like to consult the cards and imbibe alike, Katy’s deck pairs gorgeous tarot-inspired illustrations with creative drink recipes like the ‘Root of All’ which combines tequila, root beer, cynar and bitters for a one-of-a-kind drink that will tickle any budding mixologist’s fancy. You can shop online and follow @tarotofcocktails on Instagram! (Editor’s Note: You can also find Tarot of Cocktails at Portland’s Tender Loving Empire shops!).

Wildcare is a small-batch apothecary based in California expertly mixing hydrosols, clay masks, heavenly face oils and a gorgeous golden mica infused body oil. Founder Cortney Herrera knows her stuff and mixes magical potions that my skin regularly thanks me for. Pass on the beauty to that special someone in need of some self-care this holiday season. You can shop online or, in Portland, find Wildcare at Menagerie and Stand Up Comedy.

Follow @shop_wildcare on Instagram to see when Cortney periodically announces sales with portions of their proceeds going to causes like the Protectors of Standing Rock.

Portland based jewelry line The Salt Empire is a good source for minimalist pieces, but the item I’m really enamored with right now is their Safe Space Safety Pin ring. Offering large and small size options in brass, gold fill, and silver — I love how their affordable designs are. Shop Safe Space rings here and all other Salt Empire jewelry here.

Bonus:The Salt Empire is donating 50% of proceeds from all Safe Space rings sold to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU so there’s no reason not to stuff one in everyone’s stocking this season!

Handmade in Portland, Cocanú Chocolates uses some of the highest quality chocolate as well as some pretty inventive flavors. My favorite is their Moonwalk bar which features dark chocolate with cocoa nibs and pop rocks. Admittedly, I was terrified of pop rocks as a child, but Cocanú uses them sparingly to achieve a sparkling effect that makes this amazing bar, well, POP. Other flavors include Holy Wood (editor’s note: this is my fave!) which uses palo santo wood to subtly flavor dark chocolate, the Picasso bar which features cayenne, ginger, pimentón and coconut for a spicy dark chocolate treat, and Othello which mixes white chocolate with cacao nibs and chocolate. Perfect for stocking stuffers and hostess gifts, chocolate lovers will also appreciate an assortment. Buy Cocanú chocolates online or at Portland stockist Milk Milk Lemonade at 1407 SE Belmont.

Essential oils have spiked in popularity in the last few years and whether or not you by into all the hype, it’s hard to argue with the calming beautiful scents created by diffusing oils. My favorite way to do just that is with Vitruvi’s porcelain diffuser. Made in Japan, this diffuser is truly an object of beauty and quality that surpasses the mostly plastic diffusers available elsewhere. Make your loved one’s days so much nicer with a white or black porcelain diffuser and a few oils to get them started. Plus, for US shoppers, once the Canadian to US dollar conversion kicks in — it’s a quite a bit less expensive. Some of my favorite oils are Peppermint, Lavender, Geranium, and Spruce. They are all lovely. (Editor’s Note: I dash a few drops of these aromatherapy treatments when I’m super stressed, but most often, I make a combo of Tangerine, Peppermint, and Frankincense that I LOOOOOVE. Local friends — you can also pick up oils locally at Clary Sage Herbarium 2841 NE Alberta St.!)

The Vitruvi diffusers and oils sell out are then are restocked regularly, so if they are out — just keep checking back.

Lady run biz, Frankie & Coco has been providing Portlanders with stylish, handmade handbags and pouches since 2013. With a variety of sizes, styles and prints to choose from, it’s not hard to find a fun gift for just about anyone on your list. Frankie & Coco’s polished denim and black Pendleton wool clutch is a nice gift for a fave lady and everyone can get their toiletries organized for their next getaway with a sophisticated neutral grey canvas toiletry bag. For a super great gift, stuff a Frankie & Coco pouch with treats like Cocanú chocolates, Age of Earth Co. incense, Barrow Pdx studs, and some Vitruvi oils! You can shop Frankie & Coco online or in person at one of their many Portland stockists.

Bonus:Frankie & Coco is a WOC owned business and they are donating 10% of all online sales to the ACLU!

Hello! Here are 25 books that I have and love, want, or just think would be lovely gifts. Unintentionally, all but two of these titles are by women, and, I guess, that’s just where my heart is right now. Take care and be kind to yourself — we’re going to need all our strength and to be in tip-top shape in mind and body for 2017. Happy Holidays, everyone! ♥

To celebrate just how happy I am to see so many beautiful jewels featuring two of my favorite stones lately — malachite and opals — I thought I’d do a little gift guide roundup of some gorgeous designs I’ve noticed. I have a few beautiful antique Taxco Aztec-inspired jewelry pieces from the 1940s made in Mexico with sterling and malachite — you can see my favorite vintage malachite earrings here. I love the malachite with sterling, but these eclipse brass malachite earrings (20% off: GREENDREAM thru 12/18) and these mujer brass malachite earrings (10% off: SNOWDAY thru 12/20 — also seen HERE) are at the top of my list. Oh, that heavenly malachite color swirls together all my favorite shades of green!

Surprisingly, I don’t actually own any opal jewelry yet, but I remember always getting lost in other galaxies while staring into my aunt’s opal jewelry when I was a kid. I’d love any of the beauties above. I also always find drool-worthy antique opal jewels while perusing Erica Weiner and Jean Jean Vintage. These would all be dream gifts for loved ones or yourself!